Project information

Building Communities in South Wales

Poverty, ill-health & poor mental health are among the many issues affecting a historic post-industrial community. Help us bring people together around an important local issue to bridge divides and challenge hate.
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Charity information: Hope Not Hate Charitable Trust

Need

South Wales has very high rates of poor mental health. Social exclusion & deprivation are often manifest in crime, drug & alcohol abuse. Suicide rates are high too. Many feel 'left behind' by the pace of change. People are aspirational but blame new migrants or other immigrants for their lack of opportunity. Instead of working together on community problems, people focus on the things that divide them.

Solution

Our campaign will create alliances around a common issue. Because mental health affects so many people within the community it is an issue that can’t be directly linked to immigration or the politics of 'us and them'. Using the skills already within the community, we aim to build the belief and recognition that this community is not ‘left behind’ and holds power through the strength of their collective traditions.

Aim 1

To campaign to improve mental health

Activities

» Mapping community leaders, both obvious and not yet recognised, to form a creative working coalition and access service users. » Organising regular community action weekends, raising awareness of the project and training local change makers to advocate around the issue. » Using proximity to National Park to organise outdoor fitness activities as an affordable route to improving mental health. » Accessing vibrant local arts scene for art therapy provision and awareness raising.

Success will be an increased awareness of mental health in South Wales, and concrete examples of improvements in individuals’ mental health.

Aim 2

To unite disparate groups within the community to work together for the common good.

Activities

» Host round-tables with identified local leaders before planned events to ensure they are inclusive. » Community organisers to undertake one-to-one engagements across all demographics throughout the project to increase reach. » Trained community organiser to attend every event, ensuring disparate groups and individuals are able to share experiences and have their voice heard

Success will be an increased and diverse local involvement in tackling the issue. We will ask organisations across the community to sign up to the movement.

Aim 3

To use legitimate anger at being ‘left behind’ to unite communities rather than see them divided

Activities

» Work to find solutions from within the community, highlighting skills from across divides of race, gender, educational attainment etc. to build unity » Community Festival in June 2018 to celebrate success of project. Formerly divided groups working together to create this.

Success will be a united community working together to solve local problems. The idea that those who seem ‘different’ should contribute ideas and support will be the new norm.

Impact

The long term change in South Wales will be the reduction of of divided communities through collaborative working on the common (non divisive) issue to the community, mental health. Awareness of the issues around mental health will be enhanced, and a local group of campaigners will be empowered to feel they are able to make change on this issue and to unite a divided community through this type of campaign. With growth, this campaign will spread to other towns in South Wales.

Risk

A risk to organising in this area is to get people involved. We have trained community organisers who have been working on building the profile of HOPE not hate over the last year. This is a long term project, and we are willing to invest staff time and resources into making these changes. We see this work as essential to creating a diverse and tolerant society resistant to hate.

We will be interacting with .vulnerable people, and therefore our team will undergo safeguarding training

Reporting

We will produce a written report, a spending report, and multi-media content to share.

Location

South Wales valleys, in particular Merthyr Tydfil.
We are already in talks with Newport councillors about doing something similar there too. The aim is to start in Merthyr and grow slowly to the point where we have self-sustaining groups across Wales who can take charge and campaign in their own right.

Beneficiaries

1. Ordinary community members (through community empowerment and a thriving local campaign)

2. People within the community who suffer with mental health (though community service provision through our allies)

Why Us?

We have a proven track record of community organising across England and Wales. We have extensive experience in training volunteers in community organising. We have been working in South Wales for the past twelve months, and have established excellent local networks.

People

Harriet Protheroe-Davies

Tom Godwin

I'm asking my family to donate instead of any Xmas presents they might buy me.
Good luck and hope you raise billions!

2017 Christmas Challenge supporter

£25

Until noon on 5th Dec, your £25 is worth £50. Support our work today!

Look at the figures for health inequality in Merthyr, you’ll quickly see that mental health is the biggest problem statistically. Having bad mental health leads to all the other social problems… Unless you tackle the issue of mental health none of the rest of our social problems will fall into place

Dr Martin O'Neil, Cardiff University

£25

Until noon on 5th Dec, your £25 is worth £50. Support our work today!

"I think your work around mental health is crucial because if you want to make significant change, if you want people to be empowered
then they need to be in a good place. So for the good of the town, the people and future generations, having positive mental health is crucial"

Ruth Lloyd, local youth worker

£25

Until noon on 5th Dec, your £25 is worth £50. Support our work today!

I'm asking my family to donate instead of any Xmas presents they might buy me.
Good luck and hope you raise billions!

2017 Christmas Challenge supporter

£25

Until noon on 5th Dec, your £25 is worth £50. Support our work today!

I'm asking my family to donate instead of any Xmas presents they might buy me.
Good luck and hope you raise billions!

2017 Christmas Challenge supporter

£25

Until noon on 5th Dec, your £25 is worth £50. Support our work today!

I'm asking my family to donate instead of any Xmas presents they might buy me.
Good luck and hope you raise billions!